including prisoners as part of Israel’s high state of alert after the
killings in Beit Hanoun that left 20 civilians dead. Residents of the
West Bank city of Qalqilia in the north have been virtually imprisoned
in their own city, unable to leave even with an Israeli-issued permit.
The Red Cross buses typically used to transport families to other West Bank cities were unable to operate Friday due to the long lines at military checkpoints. A Red Cross driver commented on the situation: “We were not able to transport passengers because of queues at the military checkpoints created by the Israeli pretext of searching for the 'wanted.' We tried to travel on secondary roads but with the mud, we had to put stones under the wheels in order to move.”
Palestinian prisoners have also been affected by the Israeli restrictions. Israeli prison officers did not allow prisoners to participate in Friday prayers. This is in addition to the permanent rule that all Friday sermons be approved beforehand and if, when given, it contains anything considered inflammatory by an Israeli officer, the Sheikh is put in solitary confinement for seven to 15 days. He is also fined 500 to 1,000 shekels, barred from preaching and transferred to another prison.
Friday is the second day of the three-day period of mourning for the civilians killed in Gaza this past week. Palestinians have held demonstrations throughout the West Bank and in Gaza and resistances fighters continue to launch homemade projectiles, but have caused no injuries.
Sourced from PNN
